Brewmaster turns his love of beer into a career

Modern Brewery Age, March 31, 2003

AP--Todd Hicks turned his youthful passion for beermaking into a career that finds him filling steins around the South with unique flavors.

A nomadic independent contractor currently based in Valparaiso, Fla., Hicks said he regularly burns about four tanks of gas a week driving to his beermaking tasks at pubs in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

The 32-year-old definitely prefers pubs over a desk in an office.

"I started home-brewing at 18. I've been making wine since about 15," the New Orleans native said.

Hicks put his University of South Alabama computer programming studies-- and later chemistry and microbiology at another school --on hold as he took his first shot at brewing at Port City Brewery in Mobile's Dauphin Street entertainment district until it closed about 3 years ago. He moved on to McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, Fla., before opening the second McGuire's location in Destin.

Now he's working for investors from Columbus, GA, who have purchased the Port City property with plans for Hicks to brew beer again in its 480-gallon tanks. He said the investors had toured the Port City Brewery when it was running and used it as a model for their Cannon Brewpub in downtown Columbus, which opened in 1995.

"This is their first expansion," Hicks said. "We don't need to do market research. Just put out a good product."

But all is not frothy in the brew pub industry. Hicks said the market for brewmasters in northwest Florida has dried up. He had been working for one brew pub on Miracle Strip in Fort Walton Beach until it recently stopped brewing.

He also works for Hal & Mal's Brewery and Restaurant in Jackson, Miss., where an in-house assistant helps him. The restaurant is 18 years old, but the brewery opened only three years ago.

It's really a tough market in the Southeast, Hal and Mal co-owner Malcolm White said, because consumers have been "brainwashed by major brewing companies."

"And frankly they don't like robust beer," White said. "I think if you were to open a business based on selling beer to make a major portion of the profit, you'd never make it."

He said the liquor, food and entertainment have to be combined.

Hicks believes the old Port City Brewery's reopening in a few months under the new name Mr. Jim's Cannon Brewpub will create a hub for the bar and restaurant crowd in downtown Mobile. He plans to brew some India pale ale called Special 'Ops and amber ale called Red Jacket.

Mobile's brewery history dates to the 1800s, including Bienville Brewery, which closed in 1907 when the Alabama Legislature passed a prohibition measure.

Port City Brewery opened in 1993 after the Legislature approved a restrictive law allowing breweries only in historic buildings or sites. It must also be shown that beer once was produced in the county in years past, keeping historians and business operators seeking a brewery license busy researching the industry.

The beer also cannot be possessed, sold or dispensed except on the premises where it's brewed. The pub must also operate a restaurant with a seating capacity of at least 80 people.

The port city building dates to 1899 and underwent a $1.2 million renovation in 1993. It fell into disrepair after closing, but Hicks said renovations have begun.